A variety of spinal surgeries, such as nucleus replacement, spinal fusion, and artificial disc replacement, include removing the nucleus of an intervertebral disc in a procedure called a nuclectomy. An intervertebral disc includes a nucleus and an annulus. The nucleus is a soft caliginous center of the disc, and the annulus is a harder caliginous outer ring of the disc. Accordingly, there is a difference in the composition of nucleus tissue and annulus tissue. During a nuclectomy, it is important that the surgeon removes the nucleus without damaging the annulus or the endplates of the adjacent vertebral bodies. However, performing a nuclectomy while minimizing or eliminating damage to surrounding tissues is a difficult task.